That seems like a good mix. I was thinking about giving the 0w-40 a whirl in it to see how it goes. Great start up protection and handles the heat great. I used/use it in my Audi engines, and had the twin turbo 2.7 V6 previously and now the 4.2V8. Both cars are daily drivers, driven hard and used at track days as well. It has kept those engines perfect. It was noticeably quieter on start up and for the first few minutes when cold over friends who used 5w-40 (and they are 5 valve per cylinder engines). Anyone here used M1 0w?

 

I used to drive a '06 Sprinter at work.
Mobil 1 0w-40 with 10k oil changes, Mercedes said to do 15k oil changes.
At 162k the engine blew up.
$12,000 later, new engine and then only diesel oil (15w-40) and 5,000 mile oil changes.

The van ate turbo's for lunch too, went through 3 turbos in those 162k.

From personal experience I will never use a full synthetic motor oil and I sure as hell will never use a 0w-40.

 

Wow... 15K on diesel changes?! That is INSANE!!! Especially with a turbo! Was there free service included? Audi did that too. Their recommended interval was 10K I believe, and was included for the first couple years. Screw that! I did it myself every 4K. Funny enough, they changed the schedule to make it 7,500 or maybe even 5,000 afterwards! The 0W is the European car formula and always served me right. They make a 5w-40 Turbo Diesel Formula specifically.

 

Sent that info to my buddy who runs a few Sprinters for his business, and he agreed to never use that in the MB engine as it is not approved. It needs to be 229.51 approved oil, where the 0w is 229.5 and is approved for the gas engines. The 5w-40ESP is the only approved oil for the diesel, and anything else can cause damage that is not covered by warranty.
Check out these two:
http://www.startekinfo.com/StarTek/o...stedDocId=9511
https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...a_M_5W-40.aspx

 

Spike, great point on these fancy oils that are good for marketing campaigns and very tight tolerance engines with skinny connecting rods and two rings vs. three on their pistons.

On our trusted buick based OHV design, I use 15 W 40 Rotella oil on the 4.0 and the 4.6 between April and November and 5 W 40 Rotella for the 3 winter months.

Never had an engine failure or sludge on these engines and my change interval is 4 K to 5 K Miles.

 

Thanks guys for all the weighing in...

I'm going to call a tow truck & have the beast taken up to British Autoworks in the Bronx (my insurance will pay for the tow & I won't have to worry that a flaky mechanic will accidentally maul something in the process of testing the oil pressure)
I'll let you know the numbers when they give them to me!

Re: Oil weight - I know I'm not as cold as MI (Although it felt like it last night with the wind chill on the NYS thruway) and the car mostly lives in NYC/NEPA (and will hopefully have a few trips up to VT before Ski season is over!), so 10w/40?Y ear round? Switch when it warms up a bit?
Thanks!

 

According to the book I would roll with 5w-40 if you want a year round oil. I think I will be giving the 0W40 a try though. BTW, my Rover took it's first actual trip into Manhattan last night. With the wind, that was the coldest I have felt in a LONG time! My little boy wants me to take him boarding tonight over at Mountain Creek... I'm having second thoughts on that!

 

@ Snafu/Disco

I was at Hunter skiing yesterday (in a rental - booo!) and about 3pm it dropped a good 10 degrees in about an hour + that wind = GET ME THE F IN THE CAR!!! Manhattan seemed warm by the time we got back!

If you head back into the city beware of the potholes and things that may have fallen into them that will rip your tires to shreds.
I pulled into a garage last Friday and thought they were admiring my fine piece of English machinery but when I got out they pointed and said "You've got a flat" & pointed to my right front tire that was pissing out air.

My horn switch also needs to be replaced, the cover & spring keeps popping out and shooting out into the car (I can't seem to find just a cover replacement) It's being held on with electrical tape at the moment.

It's been a good week for me & things that run on gas & oil.
(sarcasm)

Thanks again!

 

Yikes! My 6 y/o and I have season passes up to Mountain Creek so we head there often... one of the main reasons I wanted the Disco! I'm thinking the cold and wind will be too much though!
And yes, the potholes were ridiculous in/around the city. I took the Disco for that reason! The S4 has 18" performance snow tires on it, and if I bubble or bust one of them I am screwed and would need a complete new set as they are about 50% worn and you can't put one new one with 3 old on the quattro system. The CX-9 has the 20" wheels and just as low of a profile as the S4, and would like to avoid busting the heck out of those too! Plus for parking, let them back into my brush guard and see what happens

 

Remember, the recommended oil weights in the manual were published when your engine was new. These engines are all aging and mechanical wear will have an impact on the performance of every part of the engine. You may want to think about those temperature ranges with that in mind.

Being as cold as it has been in NY and PA, 10w40 is probably OK, but pay close attention and be prepared to go to a heavier oil if necessary to provide the right pressure. At this point I'm running Rotella 15w40 even in the winter, but will consider something heavier next summer if necessary...